Medical Sciences MMedSci by Research

The Masters in Medical Sciences programme is the only one of its kind in the UK and is proven to give graduates the competitive edge in the job market. It’s designed for high-calibre medicine graduates who want to explore and benefit from medical research, perhaps with a view to pursuing a PhD or a career in research.

We offer you the opportunity to undertake a research project in a laboratory or department relevant to your speciality. The choice of research projects carried out is wide and ranges from bench research to clinical research.

The programme begins with a month of teaching, providing you with an overview of the whole range of techniques used in medical research.

In the first two weeks you will attend lectures on subjects ranging from stem cell biology to ethics and clinical trials. You will also receive statistics training and practical workshops in cell biology and molecular medicine. You will be taught practical techniques, including basic tissue culture, how to do PCRs and run Western Blots.

Around 20 per cent of the course will consist of taught classes and seminars. The rest is spent in your host department.

To consider your research interests and opportunities we advise you to visit Edinburgh’s Clinical Academic Training Centre (ECAT) or speak to the Programme Director.

Around a quarter of our students continue on to a PhD. Those who choose to return to clinical practice go back with a broader experience of research than is afforded by the undergraduate clinical medicine curriculum.

International qualifications

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

IELTS Academic: total 6.5 (at least 6.0 in each module)

TOEFL-iBT: total 92 (at least 20 in each module)

PTE Academic: total 61 (at least 56 in each of the "Communicative Skills" sections; the "Enabling Skills" sections are not considered)

CAE and CPE: total 176 (at least 169 in each module)

Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments. The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on your programme, the duration of your studies, and your residency status. (Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.)

Applying

When completing the online application form you are not required to complete a research proposal. You will select your research project at the beginning of the programme. (Please ignore any automatically generated emails requesting this information from you during the application process.)

You will be formally interviewed (in person, by video-conferencing or Skype).

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

The University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number
SC005336, VAT Registration Number GB 592 9507 00, and is acknowledged by the UK authorities as a
“Recognised body” which has been
granted degree awarding powers.